CEP Mentions
DW News: How Do Israel And Hamas Actually Communicate?
“The truce between Hamas and Israel ended after seven days. In that time, Hamas and other militants in Gaza released more than 100 hostages, mostly Israelis, while Israel released some 240 Palestinian prisoners. Extensions of the truce were negotiated with international help. Hamas is classified by multiple countries as a terrorist organization. Interview with CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler.”
Vice News: Meet The 'Entrepreneur Of Hate' Behind The Rise Of Canadian Neo-Nazi Fight Clubs
“...Alexander Ritzmann, a senior advisor of the Counter-Extremism Project, has been a leading expert on Active Clubs and their international spread. He told VICE News that in the United States, the Active Clubs appear to be building “a militia that looks like a combat sports network.” "There's lots of evidence suggesting that this is actually a shadow militia that is training and preparing for a Day X scenario. One that is undefined at the moment—it could be something like January 6, it could be something else,” said Ritzmann. “So it is very relevant when some of the leadership has a past of being members in outward, violent organizations.””
Iran
Reuters: Iran Says Two Revolutionary Guards Killed In Israeli Attack In Syria
“Two Iranian Revolutionary Guards members who served as military advisers in Syria have been killed in an Israeli attack, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, in the first reported Iranian casualties during the ongoing war in Gaza. A Revolutionary Guards statement did not give details of the attack. Syria earlier said its air defences repelled an Israeli rocket attack against targets in the vicinity of Damascus early on Saturday.”
Iraq
Associated Press: 11 Civilians Are Killed In An Attack By Gunmen In Iraq’s Eastern Diyala Province
“A group armed with explosives and guns killed 11 people in eastern Iraq, security officials said Friday. The attack took place Thursday night in the area of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province. A roadside bomb exploded and gunmen then opened fire on rescuers and bystanders at the scene, two security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The victims were all civilians, the officials said. The gunmen fled and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Diyala province has seen periodic attacks by Islamic State cells and sporadic violence due to sectarian tensions between Shiites and Sunnis, as well as fighting between rival militias and their tribal and political allies struggling over influence and lucrative racketeering networks. The province, which borders both Iran and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, is a prime conduit for smuggling. The Iraqi military’s joint operations command said in a statement that it would form a committee to investigate the attack. Lt. Gen. Qais al-Muhammadawi, deputy commander of the joint operations, traveled to Diyala on Friday to attend a funeral for the victims and and “determine the circumstances of the incident,” the statement said. The provincial governor of Diyala, Muthanna al-Tamimi, vowed in a statement to “pursue the perpetrators of the terrorist attack.”
Reuters: Suspected U.S. Strike In Iraq Kills Five Militia Members, Sources Say
“A U.S. air strike killed five Iraqi militants near the northern city of Kirkuk as they prepared to launch explosive projectiles at U.S. forces in the country, three Iraqi security sources said, identifying them as members of an Iran-backed militia. A U.S. military official confirmed a "self-defense strike on an imminent threat" that targeted a drone staging site near Kirkuk on Sunday afternoon. A statement by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group representing several Iraqi armed factions with close ties to Tehran, said five of its members had been killed, and vowed retaliation against U.S. forces. The group had claimed several attacks against U.S. forces throughout Sunday. Earlier Sunday, the U.S. military official said U.S. and international forces were attacked with multiple rockets at the Rumalyn Landing Zone in northeastern Syria, but there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure. Iraqi armed groups have claimed more than 70 such attacks against U.S. forces since Oct. 17 over Washington's backing of Israel in its bombardment of Gaza. The attacks paused during the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire but have since resumed. The U.S. in November launched two series of strikes in Iraq against what it said were Iran-aligned armed groups who had engaged in attacks against their forces. Those strikes killed at least 10 militants who were identified both as members of shadowy militia Kataeb Hezbollah and of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, an official security institution composed mainly of Shi'ite Muslim armed groups.”
Yemen
ABC: 3 Commercial Ships Attacked In Red Sea; Houthis Claim Responsibility, Citing Israel-Hamas War
“Three commercial ships came under attack in the international waters of the Red Sea on Sunday, U.S. military officials said -- as Houthi militants claimed responsibility for the latest incursion in the Middle East, where tensions have been high since the Israel-Hamas war began. "These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security," U.S. Central Command said in a statement. "They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world." A major shipping lane runs through the sea, between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Since Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel sparked the war, there have been a number of missile attacks from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea, the Pentagon has said. Officials on Sunday laid blame with Iran. "We ... have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran. The United States will consider all appropriate responses in full coordination with its international allies and partners," CENTCOM said. U.S. forces have been repeatedly attacked by Iran-backed proxies in Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the Pentagon, and American forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes as a result. The three commercial ships, or merchant vessels, were identified in Sunday's statement as the Unity Explorer, which is U.K.-owned but flagged (or registered) in the Bahamas; the Number 9, which is flagged in Panama and owned and operated in Bermuda and the U.K.; and the Sophie II, which is also registered in Panama.”
Lebanon
Associated Press: Hezbollah And Israeli Troops Exchange Fire Along The Border As 2 People Are Killed In Lebanon
“Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group attacked several Israeli army posts along the two countries’ border and Israel shelled a village in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing two Lebanese citizens, officials said. It was the first time Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli troops along the Lebanon-Israel border since the start of a seven-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah. That cease-fire collapsed on Friday, plunging the Israel-Hamas conflict back into open combat. Israel’s military said it hit the sources of the fire directed at the military. Lebanese security officials, meanwhile, said a woman and her son died when Israeli shells hit their home in the southern village of Houla. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Lebanon’s state news agency identified the woman and her son as Nasifa Mazraani and Mohammed Mazraani. Hezbollah later announced that Mohammed Mazraani was a fighter with the group. The woman’s death raised to at least 15 the number of civilians killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past eight weeks. The Iran-backed Hezbollah meanwhile, said it carried out four attacks on Israeli border posts. The Shiite militant group has been attacking Israeli posts since a day after the unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas incursion into southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and set off the latest Israeli-Hamas war.”
Middle East
Bloomberg: Israel Risks ‘Strategic Defeat’ If It Doesn’t Protect Civilians, Austin Says
“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Israel risked “strategic defeat” in its war with Hamas if it fails to heed warnings about the mounting civilian death toll. “I have personally pushed Israeli leaders to avoid civilian casualties, and to shun irresponsible rhetoric, and to prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank,” Austin said in a speech to the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday. Austin’s comments come as top US officials have grown increasingly vocal in their warnings to Israel about the death toll in the Gaza Strip. Those warnings, previously confined to closed-door meetings, have been thrust into the open by mounting pressure from Israel’s Arab neighbors, human-rights activists and opinion at home — including the left of President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party. While Austin and other US leaders have vowed to continue supporting Israel, they worry that American support could become untenable if civilian casualties continue to mount. During a trip to Israel this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the punishing campaign unleashed on northern Gaza shouldn’t be repeated as Israeli forces move south after the end of a multiday cease-fire with Hamas. In California, Austin turned to personal combat experience to make his case.”
Somalia
Reuters: UN Security Council Lifts Arms Embargo On Somalia Government
“The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted on Friday to remove the final restrictions on weapons deliveries to Somalia's government and its security forces, more than 30 years after an arms embargo was first imposed on the country. The council put the embargo on Somalia in 1992 to cut the flow of weapons to feuding warlords, who had ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and plunged the Horn of Africa country into civil war. The 15-member body adopted two British-drafted resolutions: one to remove the full arms embargo on Somalia and another to reimpose an arms embargo on al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants. The resolution lifting the arms embargo spells out "for the avoidance of doubt, that there is no arms embargo on the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia." It also expresses concern about the number of safe ammunition storage facilities in Somalia, and encourages the construction, refurbishment and use of safe ammunition depots across Somalia. It urges other countries to help. "The lifting of the arms embargo enables us to confront security threats," said Somalia's U.N. Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman. "It also allows us to bolster the capacity of the Somali security forces by accessing lethal arms and equipment to adequately safeguard our citizens and our nation." Al Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 to try to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.”
Europe
Associated Press: Police Raid Moscow Gay Bars After A Supreme Court Ruling Labeled LGBTQ+ Movement ‘Extremist’
“Russian security forces raided gay clubs and bars across Moscow Friday night, less than 48 hours after the country’s top court banned what it called the “global LGBTQ+ movement” as an extremist organization. Police searched venues across the Russian capital, including a nightclub, a male sauna, and a bar that hosted LGBTQ+ parties, under the pretext of a drug raid, local media reported. Eyewitnesses told journalists that clubgoers’ documents were checked and photographed by the security services. They also said that managers had been able to warn patrons before police arrived. The raids follow a decision by Russia’s Supreme Court to label the country’s LGBTQ+ “movement” as an extremist organization. The ruling, which was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Ministry, is the latest step in a decadelong crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights under President Vladimir Putin, who has emphasized “traditional family values” during his 24 years in power. Activists have noted the lawsuit was lodged against a movement that is not an official entity, and that under its broad and vague definition authorities could crack down on any individuals or groups deemed to be part of it. Several LGBTQ+ venues have already closed following the decision, including St. Petersburg’s gay club Central Station. It wrote on social media Friday that the owner would no longer allow the bar to operate with the law in effect.”
Southeast Asia
Associated Press: Philippine Troops Kill 11 Islamic Militants In One Of Bloodiest Anti-Insurgency Offensives This Year
“Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes and artillery fire, killed 11 suspected Islamic militants near a hinterland village in the country’s south, authorities said Saturday, in one of the military’s bloodiest anti-insurgency offensives this year. The military launched the offensive Friday after receiving intelligence about the whereabouts of suspected leaders and armed followers of the Dawla Islamiyah and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or the BIFF, groups near the village of Tuwayan in southern Datu Hofer town in Maguindanao province, military officials said. Army Maj. Saber Balogan, a regional military official, said government forces recovered 11 bodies of suspected militants after more than three hours of fighting. Troops also recovered Seven M16 and M14 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and five homemade bombs from the scene, he said, adding that there were no military casualties. The Associated Press saw a confidential initial government report about the military operation, which stated that two Philippine air force fighter planes dropped eight 500-pound bombs in the hinterland areas where the militants were spotted. Two military helicopters further targeted the militants. Army troops were deployed after to the battle scene, military officials said. This came after 13 armed militants belonging to the Dawla Islamiyah surrendered with their firearms to the military in the south, Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, a regional military commander said.”
Reuters: Philippine Military Says Manhunt Underway For Bombing Suspects
“A "massive" manhunt is underway for the attackers who bombed a Catholic Mass that killed four people in the southern Philippines, a senior military officer said on Monday, vowing to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to justice. Police are looking into at least two suspects they believe were behind the blast, which Islamic State militants claimed. "As we speak, there's an ongoing massive operation to hunt these terrorist groups or suspected perpetrators of the bombing," William Gonzales, Western Mindanao Command chief, told reporters after a security meeting in Marawi city. The bomb went off on Sunday during a service at a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city left in ruins in 2017 by a five-month military campaign to end an occupation by Islamic State loyalists that had triggered alarm across Asia. "(We have persons) of interest, but the investigation is still ongoing. In order not to preempt the investigation, we will not divulge the names," regional police chief Allan Nobleza told GMA News, adding that one of the suspects was linked to a local militant group. The United States condemned the "horrific terrorist attack" and said it stood with Filipinos in rejecting violence, joining a chorus of support from countries including Japan, Australia, Britain, China and Canada.”
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